1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to vehicle stability systems, and more particularly to a vehicle stability system using an active tilting mechanism to compensate for the natural tendency of a vehicle to tilt during a turning maneuver thereby enhancing safety and providing a more comfortable driving condition. It affords a safer severe turn with higher speed as well as improved brake performance and reduces the possibility of the vehicle rolling over.
2. Description of Related Art
There are a number of factors that affect the stability or instability of a vehicle in motion. The present invention focuses on the instability that may cause a vehicle to tilt and experience rollover, a condition in which the vehicle tilts and rolls over laterally while turning, creating a perilous situation in extreme circumstances.
Stability is important for safety and for comfortable driving conditions, especially during a turning maneuver. When turning, the driver and passengers in the vehicle are preferably in as stable a state as possible, and not leaning in a direction opposite the turn direction. In addition, the driver should have the optimum visibility available by obtaining a closer view along the turn direction, and not increasing the blind spot with the vehicle tilted away in a direction opposite to the turn direction as seen in conventional vehicles. Moreover, the weight of the vehicle should be as uniformly allocated as possible to each wheel of the vehicle when it is turning. Thus, the total friction between the tires and the road surface can be evenly distributed to all the wheels so that the vehicle can be safely maneuvered and get the maximum performance of the brake system.
A suspension involving all these considerations has not been identified in the field of vehicle stability systems. Vehicle rollover is a condition that seriously injures or kills many people each year in this country. In an attempt to avoid serious injury to the occupants of a car in the event of a rollover, many cars have been equipped with specialized roll bars to protect the integrity of the vehicle cabin when rollover occurs. However, the present inventor is unaware of any attempt in the prior art to prevent the occurrence of a rollover by evaluating in real time the conditions that lead to a rollover, and using counter active measures to compensate for the vehicle's inclination to rollover when evaluated factors predict a rollover condition.